I think it shows a shift the way new mobile "interfaces" are breaking news
as much, if not more than the hardware. See HTC "Sense", LG "S-Class". It's
great you see people saying i want this or that UI ported onto my phone.
Little bit on the design process here:http://www.wallpaper.com/technology/htc-hero-handset/3496 with HTC'c chief
tech officer. My understanding is they worked very hard on the interface
here, taking advantage of the ability to multitask etc. I have ordered one
arriving tuesday. Maybe give more feedback then if i feel i have something
incisive to say about it. I agree these new interfaces should be bigger
news!

This video on You Tube discusses the HTC Hero interface (compared to
the iPhone). It shows how the HTC is more focused on interactions
with other people you "know", which could be useful. But not
everybody has the problem of overseeing numerous social networks. It
all looked to complicated for my taste. And the fact that "it is a
blank slate" that can be configured any way I want is not a feature
to me or a lot of other "non-geeks".

You might want to checkout these two videos. While I don't agree
with all his conclusions in regards to the features and
functionalities of each devices, the videos at least compare the two
devices side by side nicely.